Severe weather likely in Arkansas beginning Wednesday evening; briefing updated

• Severe storms are expected to fire across Arkansas this afternoon into the overnight hours.

• Chances for severe weather will increase through the day as a storm system tracks from the southern Plains to the mid-Mississippi Valley, and drags a cold front into Arkansas. Ahead of the front, well above average temperatures and humid conditions will create a very unstable environment.

• All modes of severe weather are in play this afternoon and overnight. Very large hail up to baseball size and wind gusts up to 80 mph are the main threats, with tornadoes also possible. Heavy downpours may lead to localized flash flooding as well.

• On Thursday, storms will be mostly south of Arkansas but could impact far southern portions of the state. Damaging winds and large hail would be the main hazards.

Minor updates have been made by the National Weather Service in Little Rock, AR.

They include the addition of NW Arkansas to the Tornado Outlook and Overnight Timing Graphics. 

Storms are expected to initially develop by early evening across northern and western Arkansas. These storms will be capable of all severe weather hazards. The storms will gradually shift eastward through the evening hours with the very large hail threat becoming slightly lower. The damaging wind and isolated tornado threat will persist. Activity should make it east of the Mississippi River by daybreak Thursday.

Severe Weather Briefing for Arkansas from the National Weather Service in Little Rock

• There is a potential for severe weather today through Wednesday. The greatest risk of severe storms in Arkansas will be on Wednesday.

• In the near term, an outbreak of severe weather is expected in the Plains today. A line of strong/severe storms will approach northwest Arkansas tonight, but should weaken as it progresses into the state during the predawn hours Tuesday. Additional isolated to scattered thunderstorms will pop up Tuesday afternoon, but any severe weather will be spotty.

• Chances for severe weather will increase Wednesday as a storm system tracks from the southern Plains to the mid-Mississippi Valley, and drags a cold front into Arkansas. Ahead of the front, well above average temperatures and humid conditions will create a very unstable environment. All modes of severe weather are in play, including tornadoes. Heavy downpours may lead to localized flash flooding.

National Weather Service Severe Weather Briefing

A cold front will push through Arkansas from the Plains on Thursday. Ahead of the front, very warm conditions/well above normal temperatures will exist, creating a very unstable environment.

A broken line of scattered strong to severe thunderstorms are expected to develop across the northwest counties Thursday afternoon. The line is then expected to move towards central and northeastern locations Thursday evening and night. There are indications the line will gradually weaken after the sun sets, and daytime heating is lost.

Large hail and damaging winds are the primary concerns, especially across northern and extreme western parts of the state. A low, but non-zero tornado chances exists across the northeastern half of the state.

Severe Weather Briefing Monday night into Tuesday for Arkansas

• After a quiet but breezy/warm weekend, a powerful storm system in the central Plains will drag a cold front toward Arkansas late Monday into late Tuesday night.

• Ahead of the front, scattered strong to severe thunderstorms are expected from portions of Iowa and Nebraska to northern Texas Monday/Monday night. The focus for possible severe weather will shift eastward into Arkansas on Tuesday.

• Damaging straight-line winds appear the primary thunderstorm hazard across Arkansas, although large hail and a tornado or two will be possible with any supercells that manage to develop ahead of the main line of thunderstorms.

Severe Weather Briefing from the National Weather Service

There will be a brief window for severe weather Monday afternoon and evening over the south and southeast parts of the state. While there will be a lot of wind energy with this system, instability is low which will keep the severe threat limited. 

Windy conditions are expected to develop before the actual system arrives and some parts of the state may see some locally heavy rain.

• We continue to monitor a strong cold front that will be moving across the state Monday into Monday evening. Sustained winds of 20 to 30 mph are expected with higher gusts possible outside of any thunderstorm activity.

• Strong gusty winds remain the primary threat with storms on Monday. While the tornado threat is minimal, it is not zero.

• The greatest overlap of severe thunderstorm ingredients will lie over southern and southeastern Arkansas Monday afternoon and evening. While there is a tremendous amount of wind energy with this system, instability is limited.

• Widespread rain is expected before the actual cold front arrives which will further decrease the chance of widespread severe weather.

• In addition to severe weather, localized heavy rainfall is possible, primarily over the western half of the state. Some localized flash flooding issues may arise as a result.

Severe storms are possible for the upcoming weekend according to the National Weather Service

• A strong cold front will surge through Arkansas from the Plains on Saturday. The front will trigger showers and thunderstorms.

• There is a risk of severe thunderstorms on Saturday as the front plows into an unseasonably mild (springlike) and unstable environment across the state. Data currently indicates all modes of severe weather (including tornadoes, damaging winds, and hail) will be possible.

• Cooler and more seasonal air will follow the front Saturday night and Sunday. Residual moisture may yield a few snowflakes in the Ozark Mountains before precipitation ends Sunday afternoon.

Incoming cold front may raise the risk of wildfowl-borne avian influenza for backyard Arkansas poultry flocks

By Mary Hightower
U of A System Division of Agriculture

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — A change in the weather may intensify the fall migration of wildfowl and poultry flock owners will need to redouble their biosecurity efforts to stave off potential infections of a deadly type of bird flu, said Dustan Clark, extension poultry veterinarian for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.

Flock of backyard chickens getting an early start on a farm in western Arkansas. (U of A System Division of Agriculture image by John Lovett)

“Geese, ducks and other wildfowl are already making their way south along the Mississippi Flyway,” Clark said on Tuesday. “And we know that wildfowl play a role in moving avian influenza around the Western Hemisphere.”

At issue is highly pathogenic avian influenza, H5N1, which has beleaguered poultry owners since 2021, affecting millions of birds on five continents and last year, helped drive up egg prices. This fall, 10 states have had confirmed infections, with Oregon being the most recent, Clark said.

“We have a cold front coming in a few days and that will push migrating birds south,” he said. “We need to be prepared.”

Arkansas is located squarely in the Mississippi Flyway and the lakes and agricultural fields of the Delta a stopping point for millions of ducks, geese and other birds.

“Three of the states, Minnesota, South Dakota and Utah, have confirmed cases in turkey flocks,” Clark said. “The remaining seven states reported the highly pathogenic avian influenza infections only in backyard, hobby and small flocks.

“Because small flocks tend to be outdoors, there’s a higher risk of exposure to infected wild birds,” he said. “It’s important that our small flock, backyard flock and hobby flock owners be informed about disease recognition and prevention.”

Webinars for poultry owners

The Cooperative Extension Service is holding four webinars to help owners of backyard, hobby or small flocks to protect their poultry from avian influenza. (U of A System Division of Agriculture image)

Clark is offering four biosecurity webinars for small flock owners at 6 p.m. each evening of Nov. 2, 7, 9 and 16. There is no charge to attend. Registration is available online.

“While biosecurity may sound complex, there are some simple, inexpensive ways for small flock owners to protect their birds,” he said.

1. Keep birds in pens covered with roofs or tarps to prevent exposure to wild bird feces and to keep poultry away from any pond or other water source that wild waterfowl may visit.

2. Keep facilities and equipment clean and in good repair. Change feed and water frequently.

3. Quarantine and isolate any new or sick birds from your other poultry for a minimum of three weeks.

4. Keep unnecessary visitors away and keep a record of all necessary visitors. Do not let them come in contact with your flock. If you visit an area where there are waterfowl or poultry Do Not Visit your poultry until you change clothes/ shoes and wash your hands.

5. Recognize signs of illness in poultry and report unusual signs to your local veterinarian, local county extension agent, extension poultry veterinarian, state veterinarian, USDA hotline at 1-866-536-7593, or Arkansas avian influenza hotline, 501-823-1746.

Find other information about biosecurity on the extension service website. 

To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on X and Instagram at @AR_Extension. To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu. Follow on X at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on X at @AgInArk.

Severe Weather Briefing for Wednesday evening from the National Weather Service in Little Rock, AR

Toward evening, a strong storm system and associated cold front will approach from the Plains. A new round of strong to severe thunderstorms will likely develop in southern Missouri and sweep into northern Arkansas.

This could be a significant severe weather event, and somewhat unusual for August. This kind of event is more reminiscent of spring. Destructive winds and large hail are the main concerns, and an isolated tornado or two are possible. 

Torrential downpours are expected in places. The forecast calls for two to three inches of rain in parts of the north, and this may result in localized flash flooding. 

National Weather Service
Little Rock, Arkansas

Strawberry growers need to keep a close eye on temperatures this weekend

By Mary Hightower
U of A System Division of Agriculture

LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas’s strawberry growers may be reaching for the plant covers this weekend as an approaching cold front threatens to drop overnight temperatures into the 30s on Friday and Saturday in northern Arkansas.

The National Weather Service in Tulsa, Oklahoma, which provides forecasts for northwest Arkansas, was forecasting lows of 39 on Friday night and 35 on Saturday night. For central Arkansas, the National Weather Service at Little Rock was looking at lows dipping into the 40s on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights.

Strawberry season has been a mixed bag so far, said Amanda McWhirt, extension horticulture production specialist for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.

COVER UP! — Crop covers like those seen here can help protect horticulture crops such as strawberries, blackberries and blueberries during cold weather. (Division of Agriculture photo.)

“It started off looking really great — warming up really quickly early, and things started flowering very early,” she said. “It kind of made growers a little nervous because it was a lot earlier than normal — but that’s also exciting because you can start picking earlier and it helps on the economic side of things.”

In central Arkansas, some farms have been picking strawberries for three weeks, McWhirt said, adding “Normally we’d only be kicking things off.”

However, freezing temperatures returned in March.

“A lot of growers in the central and southern parts of the state were able to protect with row covers, but a lot of growers in the northwest corner, they had row covers on, but it just got so much cooler there that they actually lost a lot of the blooms that were open and even some of the small, green fruit,” she said.

McWhirt said that strawberries will keep blooming, so even though early fruit was lost, farmers were still able to get fruit later.

“The last couple of weeks have been perfect,” she said. “It’s been very dry, and the season has been going really well.”

However, “there is a little bit of concern about the cold temperatures moving in late this week, but hopefully, it will not dip down into the low 30s in northwest Arkansas,” McWhirt said.

Definitely been “ups and downs this season,” she said.

McWhirt estimates there are 200 to 300 acres of strawberries being grown in Arkansas.

To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @AR_Extension. To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu/. Follow us on Twitter at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on Twitter at @AgInArk.

Arctic front blasting the state on Thursday

An arctic front will blast through the state on Thursday with very cold air and gusty winds accompanying the boundary. 

Wind chill warnings and advisories have been issued along with a winter weather advisory across the north for several inches of snow. Strong winds will blow this snow about as it will be dry and powdery with low moisture content.

Severe Weather Briefing for Arkansas from the National Weather Service in Little Rock

[TODAY] A strong storm system will be approaching the region through today, providing the next widespread thunderstorm chances on Thursday. In between now and then, a stalled boundary draped across the state will remain the focus for intermittent showers and thunderstorms today. 

[THURSDAY] Our next main concern for organized severe weather will set up on Thursday as a cold front moves across the state from west to east. All severe hazards will be possible including damaging winds, some hail, and a few tornadoes. 

[ADDITIONAL HAZARDS] Heavy to excessive rainfall and local flash flooding will remain a concern today and Thursday, given multiple rounds of precipitation have led to widespread saturated regions. 

Please click on the pic below to see the attached briefing for more information.